CO2 Foundation
CO2 Foundation is a private foundation based in Seattle, Washington, that provides early-stage, project-based support for scientifically grounded climate solutions. Its website describes a focus on bold, proof-of-concept work addressing both the causes of climate change and urgent risks from extreme weather.
CO2 Foundation at a glance
In short: CO2 Foundation gave $2.3M across 34 grants in 2025 (avg $66K), top state Washington. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,251,048
- +124.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 34
- +25.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $66,207
- +78.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $71,250
- Total assets
- $5,718,718
- -31.1% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Washington (23% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to CO2 Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- Invitation Only
-
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests through letters of inquiry, which it accepts on a rolling basis; full proposals are by invitation only. The website asks applicants to submit a project overview as a PDF. Successful LOIs lead to an invitation for a full proposal, including a detailed budget, timeline, organizational information including equal-opportunity policies, and a project description. The foundation says LOIs are reviewed within 45 days and applicants receive written notice. Its filing states that the full proposal is due by email within 30 days of being sent. Applicants must be U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofits; individuals and organizations may apply through a nonprofit fiscal sponsor. Projects should be fully planned and ready to execute as soon as funding is released.
- Review Cycle
- The 2025 funding opportunity listed a priority date of **July 31, 2025**, which has passed. The foundation’s filing describes one funding opportunity per year, with a soft close three months after the opportunity is posted.
- Deadline
- The 2025 funding opportunity listed a priority date of July 31, 2025, which has passed.
- Contact
Application contact: Karen Wolfgang
Mailing address: 2442 Nw Market St 971, Seattle, WA 98107
Phone: (601) 342-0234
Email: grants@co2foundation.org
Website: https://www.co2foundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who CO2 Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Climate Central Inc ($190K). Together the top 10 received $1.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
82 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 48 grants of 82 (59%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Seattle, Washington. Its 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in multiple states; the largest reported shares were Washington (23%), California (13%), Massachusetts (12%), New Jersey (8%), and Oregon (7%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 34 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How CO2 Foundation gives
- 26% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 572% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 965% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $50 (2020) to $2.3M (2025). In 2025 it made 34 grants totaling $2.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Climate Central Inc Princeton, NJ | Continuing sea surface temperature attribution modeling, connecting with extreme weather events. / expand our reach to new audiences with webinars, social media, and event-specific tools that will strengthen public understanding and help communities plan for and respond effectively to extreme weather events. | $190,000 |
| University of Washington Foundation Seattle, WA | Assess with the use of new climate model simulations if heatwaves could be pre-emptively cooled down with targeted aerosol injection upstream from the heatwave location. / co-produce actionable predictions through a collaboration with scientists and arctic indigenous organizations -- downscale earth system models to provide locally relevant, accessible, and potentially life-saving information. | $189,744 |
| Yale University New Haven, CT | Continuing yale climate connections spanish language hub work, on new platforms. / automate lifesaving extreme weather alerts and climate education during moments of increased public interest. | $145,098 |
| Common Goal Brooklyn, NY | Raise awareness of climate change to a global football community and secure action from industrystakeholders. | $99,623 |
| The Conversation US Waltham, MA | Continue getting extreme weather science information to the public! | $99,350 |
| Grist Magazine Inc Seattle, WA | 2025 extremes project focused on the disaster economy a full look at the businesses, labor forces, relief funds, and more that pop up in the wake of climate-induced disasters (and how thats changing under a new administration). | $97,050 |
| Northern Arizona University Foundation Flagstaff, AZ | Use existing biocrust restoration experiments to determine carbon sequestration potential of these activities. | $95,000 |
| Urban Institute Washington, DC | Provides rapid, equity-focused analysis on disasters and disaster recovery needs in the days before, and after, those events, to that expand public conversations to include key equity topics and support community advocates and policy-makers who are prioritizing these important issues. | $95,000 |
| Climate Foundation Seattle, WA | Advances hectare-scale marine permaculture development, unlocking vast ocean areas for ecological restoration, sustainable resource production, and long-term carbon storage solutions. | $85,500 |
| Oregon Environmental Council (OEC) Portland, OR | 2027 soil health summit and additional natural climate solutions rulemaking stakeholder engagement. | $84,250 |
Ready to take the next step with CO2 Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $5,718,718 | $715,786 | $2,521,427 | $2,251,048 | 34 | $2,427,302 | $3,218,593 | $251,596 |
| 2024 | $8,299,815 | $5,960,759 | $1,100,997 | $1,004,030 | 27 | $1,176,021 | $842,422 | $115,591 |
| 2023 | $1,960,134 | $38,944 | $602,817 | $303,580 | 11 | $466,854 | $35,536 | $99,649 |
| 2022 | $1,776,347 | $572,320 | $602,531 | $335,137 | 9 | $569,064 | $550,024 | $138,875 |
| 2021 | $4,048,576 | $238 | $291,522 | $159 | 1 | $270,410 | $122 | $182,021 |
| 2020 | $3,613,322 | $2,041,537 | $270,016 | $50 | 1 | — | $1,677,014 | $80,478 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, CO2 Foundation reported a distributable amount of $252K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to carry out grantmaking and communication about societal risks from extreme weather and the need for evidence-based, effective carbon removal approaches that contribute to a safe, just, and resilient future. Its website describes four guiding principles: embracing urgency, advancing the field, seeding bold ideas, and addressing both climate change’s near-term impacts and its underlying causes.
The foundation funds scientifically sound, potentially game-changing responses to the climate emergency, including proof-of-concept pilots. Its stated priorities include extreme-weather preparedness and response, research, communications, and convenings. Examples in its 2025 grants include extreme-weather research and alerts, climate journalism, disaster-recovery analysis, marine restoration, and soil-health work.
Grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the range of organizations supported. Climate Central describes itself as an independent nonprofit that researches and reports on climate change, its impacts, and solutions. Grist describes itself as a nonprofit media organization dedicated to reporting on climate change. EcoAdapt says it brings diverse players together to reshape planning and management in response to rapid climate change.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, CO2 Foundation reported 34 grants totaling $2,251,048. Grants ranged from $2,475 to $190,000, with a median of $71,250. The foundation’s website gives a typical grant size of $25,000–$100,000 and says funded projects may run for 6–18 months.
Among the larger 2025 grants were Climate Central Inc. ($190,000) for sea-surface-temperature attribution modeling and public communication about extreme weather; University of Washington Foundation ($189,744) for climate-model research and locally relevant predictions developed with Arctic Indigenous organizations; Yale University ($145,098) for Spanish-language climate communications and automated extreme-weather alerts; and Common Goal ($99,623) to raise climate awareness among the global football community. Other notable awards included The Conversation US ($99,350) for public communication of extreme-weather science, Grist Magazine Inc. ($97,050) for reporting on the disaster economy, and Northern Arizona University Foundation ($95,000) for research on the carbon-sequestration potential of biocrust restoration.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Karen Wolfgang as executive director, William Calvin as president, Katherine Graubard as vice president, and Stephanie Moret as treasurer.
CO2 Foundation is led by Karen Wolfgang, Executive Director on every filing since 2022; 1 of 4 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Karen Wolfgang
Executive Director
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$97K (2022) → $116K (2025)
William Calvin
President
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Katherine Graubard
Vice President
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Stephanie Moret
Treasurer
Trustee → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2024
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Sarah Myhre (2020–2022) — Executive Director -
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $116K, to Karen Wolfgang (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about CO2 Foundation
How much does CO2 Foundation give each year?
CO2 Foundation gave $2.3M across 34 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.0M across 27 grants.
What is CO2 Foundation's typical grant size?
CO2 Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $71,250, and its average grant was $66,207, across 34 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does CO2 Foundation give grants?
CO2 Foundation's top state is Washington, with 23% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were California (13%) and Massachusetts (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Seattle, WA (4 grants) and Salt Lake City, UT (2 grants).
Does CO2 Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 34 grants with a stated purpose on CO2 Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are CO2 Foundation's largest grantees?
CO2 Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Climate Central Inc ($190,000), University of Washington Foundation ($189,744) and Yale University ($145,098), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 23% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is CO2 Foundation?
CO2 Foundation reported $5.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $252K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does CO2 Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to carry out grantmaking and communication about societal risks from extreme weather and the need for evidence-based, effective carbon removal approaches that contribute to a safe, just, and resilient future. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from CO2 Foundation?
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests through letters of inquiry, which it accepts on a rolling basis; full proposals are by invitation only. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is CO2 Foundation's EIN?
CO2 Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 83-3981914. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does CO2 Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 31, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work CO2 Foundation funds
Environment & Animals Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in CO2 Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). CO2 Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/co2-foundation-morg_442d20c0fdfd487a9539ad552e884218
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_833981914_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{CO2 Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/co2-foundation-morg_442d20c0fdfd487a9539ad552e884218},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from CO2 Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
CO2 Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?